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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. suit — clothes
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. suit — to fit
  6. clip — for paper
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. content — happy
  12. clip — a video
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cell — a phone
  15. key — for a lock
  16. clip — to cut
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. suit — in cards
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pound — a weight
  23. cell — in biology
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com